Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Bai Lian returned to courtyard number 95 with a smile after finishing her business.

Sha Zhu waited anxiously at his own doorstep.

Jia Dongxu walked out of the house with a ruddy complexion, and couldn't help but go up to chat with Sha Zhu when he saw his silly appearance.

"Hey Zhuzi, what are you doing? Why are you in such a rush?"

Sha Zhu was lost in thought when he saw Jia Dongxu approaching, and felt a little awkward. He gave a dry laugh.

"Hehe, it's Brother Dongxu. Come, have a seat and have a smoke."

The two lit cigarettes and started bragging.

Jia Dongxu talked about his blind date, saying confidently that this time it would probably work out.

Men, especially those from Beijing, have a penchant for boasting. They'll say something is almost done even when it's still far from happening.

Sha Zhu outwardly praised him repeatedly, but inwardly he was already cursing.

Don't think he didn't know everything. At that time, Jia Zhangshi's voice was so loud and shrill that the entire Zhongyuan Courtyard knew about it.

The two hadn't chatted for long when Bai Lian returned, and Jia Dongxu also made an excuse to go home.

After entering the house, Sha Zhu couldn't wait to ask:

"Auntie, how did it go? Did it work?"

He Daqing was also very concerned about this matter, after all, he had to steal the prize and couldn't afford to give himself away.

Seeing the anxious looks on the father and son's faces, Bai Lian smiled and said:

"We're still quite a distance from Cheng, but we've already arranged with Matchmaker Qin to bring Qin Huairu to our house tomorrow for a blind date with Zhuzi."

He Daqing then said:

"So you're saying things didn't work out with Jia Dongxu?"

Bai Lian pouted and said, "It probably didn't work out. Jia Zhangshi's mouth offended both of them directly."

"You all know the conditions of the Rujia Hotel in Qinhuai: a dowry of 20 yuan plus a sewing machine. What do you say?"

Sha Zhu said magnanimously upon hearing this:

"This is nothing! We can get another bicycle!"

"You spendthrift..." He Daqing scolded with a smile on his face.

He breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu didn't end up together, then what they did wouldn't be considered a snatching, and they wouldn't have to worry about people gossiping in the courtyard.

After the family made the decision, they began to prepare for tomorrow's reception.

Sha Zhu suppressed his excitement and went to his senior brother's house, dragging and begging Li Jiuzhou to accompany him to get a haircut and a bath.

Sha Zhu pedaled his bike so fast it flew across the road.

Li Jiuzhou said helplessly:

"Hey Zhuzi, are you serious? It's just a blind date."

Sha Zhu replied:

"Senior brother, you're a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of an starving man. You have a girlfriend who's as beautiful as an angel. You have no idea how much I suffer."

"Fine, fine, I'm too lazy to argue with you." Li Jiuzhou had no choice but to go along with him.

The afternoon consisted of getting a haircut and a body scrub, and I also bought snacks and a whole new outfit.

Following Li Jiuzhou's suggestion, Shazhu also bought hair ties and hair clips for girls, as well as clam oil.

There was no other purpose than to spend money.

Meanwhile, Qin Huairu, upon returning to her aunt's house, couldn't wait to inquire about He Yuzhu's situation.

Matchmaker Qin was also a gossip, and she could tell all the stories from the streets and alleys in great detail.

"Huai Ru, let me tell you, this No. 95 courtyard can be said to be the most affluent courtyard in the entire Nanluoguxiang."

"Didn't you see when I went there today? Several households had radios and bicycles."

Qin Huairu nodded repeatedly; she had indeed seen it.

"The most well-known person in this courtyard is the Li family, who live in the west wing of the front courtyard."

"Li Jiuzhou, 19 years old this year, is tall and handsome, and is a very famous chef in Beiping City who has attended wedding banquets!"

"He calls himself Mr. Fish, earning over a million a month!"

Qin Huairu's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she asked:

"That's amazing, then he..."

Matchmaker Qin smiled knowingly; she knew Qin Huairu would ask:

"Are you trying to ask him if he has a girlfriend?"

"Mmm~" Qin Huairu nodded.

"She's got one, and her boyfriend is just as good-looking as you, maybe even prettier."

Qin Huairu wasn't disappointed when she heard this; she was just curious.

"Tell me more about your blind date, He Yuzhu..."

The matchmaker, Qin, told a lot about Sha Zhu.

Qin Huairu listened very attentively. Compared to Jia Dongxu, Sha Zhu's conditions were much, much better.

Over 60 a month, my God, there's no way you can spend it all!

We already have a bicycle and a radio at home. If we could add a sewing machine, we would have all three essential items.

What kind of family background do they have?

The house in the middle courtyard is a three-bay house with an attached side room; the living conditions are excellent.

She does have in-laws, but they don't live together. If she marries into the family, she won't need to serve them at all.

Qin Huairu's heart was gradually tipping in favor of Sha Zhu.

The next day at work, Li Jiuzhou asked for leave for He Daqing and Sha Zhu.

Neither Manager Luan nor Manager Fang said anything; these days, nobody likes to take leave from work.

So I happily agreed.

The next morning, Sha Zhu first took his younger sister He Yuzhu to school, and then rode his bicycle to his father's house.

Today is his blind date, and He Daqing said he will personally cook for him.

Sha Zhu and Bai Lian just need to focus on receiving the guests.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the aunt and niece arrived, and Sha Zhu was waiting at the gate of the courtyard.

Sha Zhu saw the two approaching from afar.

He cheerfully stepped forward to greet them:

"Aunt Qin, and Comrade Qin Huairu, I'm He Yuzhu, just call me Zhuzi!"

"Hehe, Zhu Zi, why are you being so polite? It's not like you don't know the way. You even waited for us at the door."

Only then did Qin Huairu take a serious look at He Yuzhu.

Their eyes met, and there was a strange sense of familiarity between them.

This feeling is indescribable and hard to grasp.

How to put it? There's a divine will at play.

According to the original storyline, the two were already husband and wife.

Qin Huairu had a relationship with Jia Dongxu, but it was nowhere near as long as the time she spent with Sha Zhu!

With Li Jiuzhou in this world, Sha Zhu's personality hasn't changed much, but it's at least a little better.

He also likes to dress neatly. At 17, he is tall and strong. He is not ugly, just looks mature.

Qin Huairu exchanged a glance with Sha Zhu, and immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards him.

Of course, it also depends on the good conditions that Sha Zhu himself possesses.

Qin Huairu came to the city with a purpose. She didn't just marry any city person. It was all arranged marriages. Why would someone with better conditions choose someone with worse conditions?

Everyone weighs the pros and cons; making the right choice is crucial for a prosperous future!

Bai Lian also came out at this moment and warmly welcomed them inside.

They drank tea and ate fruits until Sha Zhu led Qin Huairu into the inner room so the two young people could get to know each other.

Sha Zhu was very embarrassed and didn't know what to say. After a long while, he finally managed to utter a sentence:

"Um, Sister Qin... I'll call you Sister, you're a year older than me."

"Pfft, hahaha..." Qin Huairu couldn't help but laugh.

This person is so interesting, calling her blind date "sister"?

The atmosphere improved, and Sha Zhu was no longer embarrassed. He was a good talker and made Qin Huairu quite happy.

Later, Sha Zhu directly asked:

"Sister Qin, are you satisfied with me?"

Seeing that Sha Zhu was so direct, Qin Huairu didn't mince words either, and said bluntly:

"Zhu Zi, I just want to marry into the city, I don't want to farm in the countryside."

"It's not that I can't endure hardship, it's just that I can see the end of my life in the countryside from the very beginning..."

"Your conditions are very good, I'm quite satisfied. Yesterday, my aunt brought up the issue of the bride price with the Jia family, and they felt that a country girl wasn't worth that much!"

Sha Zhu looked somewhat angry upon hearing this:

"That's because the Jia family is blind. A girl as good as you, Sister Qin, is nothing compared to this little bit of betrothal money."

"As long as Sister Qin is willing, I'll pay any dowry..."

Sha Zhu's words were quite domineering, and of course, he had the right to say so!